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Best Probate Lawyers in Hawthorne, CA

Our Recommended Top 19

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Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Hawthorne Probate Lawyers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

37Reviewed

29Curated

19Top Picks

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Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

21250 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.8 (18)
Yelp
5.0 (8)
Facebook
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Alta Legacy Law assists clients in Hawthorne and the surrounding areas with the probate process. The firm’s sole focus is trust and estate law. Its founding attorney, Lindsay H. Altamirano, handles matters involving probate, trust administration, estate planning, conservatorships, elder abuse, and special needs planning. She also offers trust and estate litigation services. She has been practicing law for more than a decade. Alta Legacy Law provides legal services both in-person and online to clients throughout California.

  • Estate Planning
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate Litigation

3777 Long Beach Blvd, Suite 300, Long Beach, CA 90807

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

​Kelly Law Firm is a boutique law office serving clients in Hawthorne. The company focuses on probate law, representing beneficiaries, heirs, trustees, executors, and family members of the deceased. Paul Kelly, the firm's founder and principal lawyer, handles matters concerning last wills and testaments, trust administration, living trusts, conservatorships, and elder financial abuse. He also represents clients in cases involving undue influence, contested probates, trustee removal, fraud, and lack of capacity. Kelly has experience working as a criminal prosecutor and a civil litigator.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Paul Kelly - PrincipalActive12 yrs

​​222 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 2000, ​El Segundo, CA 90245

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Review Sources

Google
5.0 (97)
Yelp
4.8 (23)

Why choose this provider?

Forward Estate Planning is a law firm that offers counsel to the Hawthorne metro. The firm represents clients through the various facets of probate, including initial application, administration, and objection. It deals with a variety of matters such as the identification of the decedent's beneficiaries, asset distribution, debt settlement, and will validation. Dmitriy Aristov, the firm's founder and managing attorney, broadcasts the Modern Lab podcast to offer value to the community continuously. The podcast airs on various platforms like Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

13252 Hawthorne Blvd. Suite 103, Hawthorne, CA 90250

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (13)
Facebook
5.0 (1)
Yelp
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

The Law Offices of Diane Butler serves clients located in the Hawthorne area. Its legal areas of practice include probate, estate planning, bankruptcy, personal injury, criminal law, and entertainment law. Diane Butler’s estate planning and probate services involve wills and living trusts. Operating in the state since 2006, she also helps with lemon law cases, which involves giving a person the right to return a defective product or having the seller handle its repair.

  • Probate

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Diane Butler - PrincipalActive18 yrs

291 S. La Cienega Blvd. #310, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (2)

Why choose this provider?

Aliav Law is a boutique law firm that serves clients in Hawthorne. The company assists individuals and families in handling estate planning matters, including last wills and testaments, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, advanced healthcare directives, and durable powers of attorney. The firm also deals with elder law matters, such as senior housing, home care, guardianships, and health insurance plans. Prior to his private practice, Liran Aliav, the company's founder, is a former associate attorney in a private law firm.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Liran Aliav - FounderActive11 yrs

1901 Avenue of the Stars, Ste. 1100,, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
4.7 (11)
Google
5.0 (4)

Why choose this provider?

Asher Law Group serves individuals and families in Hawthorne whose decedent loved ones have unresolved estate issues. The boutique firm offers probate assistance that includes collecting the decedents' assets, paying taxes and debts, and assisting executors or administrators in distributing the remaining assets according to the wills or rules of intestate succession. Afshin Andrew Asher, the founder, is a board-certified legal specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

3528 Torrance Blvd., Suite 216, Torrance, CA 90503

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (5)

Why choose this provider?

Beach Cities Estate Law is a legal practice that serves the people of Hawthorne. The firm handles various legal matters, including trust and probate administration. Founding attorney Angela Bellanca Klenk advises and assists the decedents' executors in fulfilling their duties. She works with them throughout the process, providing updates on the progress of the administration and distribution of assets following the wills or state law. Klenk is a board-certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law. She has been in practice since 1994.

  • Trusts
  • Estate Planning
  • Probate

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Angela Klenk - Founding AttorneyActive30 yrs
Angela Klenk - FounderActive30 yrs

2029 Century Park East,#960, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (52)
Yelp
5.0 (30)
Avvo
5.0 (27)

Why choose this provider?

Manesh Law brings over three decades of experience serving individuals and families in Hawthorne and the surrounding metros. The firm handles probate proceedings, coordinating with executors, administrators, or personal representatives to dispose of and distribute the estate's assets. Its legal team also provides assistance with estate planning, which includes developing plans for minor and special-needs children. Mike S. Manesh si also a member of WealthCounsel and raises awareness for estate planning through his radio show and various Persian media outlets.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 500, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

The Law Office of Steven C. Sosa, APC, represents Hawthorne individuals and families in probate proceedings. Its services include appointing executors, managing spousal and family support claims, paying creditors, and distributing properties to heirs. The firm also offers trust administration, conservatorship, and estate planning services. Steven Sosa, the firm's principal, is a board-certified estate planning specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He has been in the probate, trust, and estate fields for over 25 years.

  • Trust Administration
  • Probate Litigation

3878 West Carson Street Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90503

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Meinzer Law Firm is an office that serves clients in Hawthorne. It deals with legal matters needed in probate proceedings, from drafting a will to distributing the assets. The firm has experience handling cases that involve conservatorship, elder law, and trust administration. Andrew M. Meinzer, the firm's attorney, focuses on estate planning, probate, and special needs planning. He has worked at the law and motion department of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Andrew Meinzer - PrincipalActive25 yrs

1308 Sartori Avenue, Suite 201, Torrance, CA 90501

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (30)
Avvo
5.0 (14)
Facebook
5.0 (8)

Why choose this provider?

Located in Torrance, Teresa Gutierrez Law is a practice that caters to families, couples, and individuals in Hawthorne and the neighboring areas. It offers probate administration and estate planning services, assisting clients in drafting wills and trusts. Its team also handles legal matters related to business law, such as entity formation, operating agreement creation, and business succession planning. The firm's namesake and principal, Teresa Gutierrez, speaks both English and Spanish. She is a member of the Mexican American Bar Association.

  • Estate Planning
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Teresa Gutierrez - PrincipalActive9 yrs

475 Washington Boulevard 2nd Floor, Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (25)
Avvo
5.0 (15)
Facebook
5.0 (7)

Why choose this provider?

The Law Offices of Maria N. Jonsson, PC, is a Marina del Rey-based practice that serves clients throughout Hawthorne. It offers legal assistance to individuals facing the probate process and counsels on issues related to creditors' claims. The firm provides estate planning solutions and creates documents like powers of attorney, trusts, and wills. Maria Jonsson, the firm's founding attorney, has over a decade of legal experience. She is a Trusts and Estates Section member in the State Bar of California.

  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Maria Jonsson - Founding AttorneyActive12 yrs

11755 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1250, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC, is a Los Angeles-based law firm that serves clients throughout Hawthorne. It offers legal assistance to individuals facing probate proceedings and handles cases involving trust contests. The firm also creates various estate planning documents, including powers of attorney. Its other practice area is family law, and it advises clients on issues like divorce. One of the firm's partners, Alexander Ginzburg, serves on the Los Angeles Superior Court as a probate law counsel. He has over 20 years of legal experience.

  • Estate Planning
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Alexander Ginzburg - PartnerActive31 yrs

1219 Morningside Dr., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Keller Law Firm is a family-owned practice that serves clients in Hawthorne. It assists estate executors through the probate process and helps trustees fulfill their fiduciary duties in trust administration. It also caters to individuals and families in estate planning, including drafting advanced healthcare directives, pour-over wills, revocable living trusts, and property powers of attorney. The father-daughter law firm has been addressing the needs of families since 2001. It focuses on restoring family relationships by using mediation and arbitration in dealing with contentious matters.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

28924 S. Western Avenue, Suite 206, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (3)
Facebook
3.0 (1)
Yelp
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Since 1987, Lane Law Group Inc. has been providing probate administration services in Hawthorne. This firm liaises with the probate requirements including petitions, notice distributions, asset inventory, appraisals, tax payment, and creditor updating. It also guides individuals in preventing complex probate procedures and safeguarding family's wealth through estate planning, including preparation and administration of living trusts, wills, and powers of attorneys. Other areas of practice include business and real estate law, dealing with business formation, contract drafting, negotiation, purchase and sale, and dissolution.

  • Estate Planning
  • Probate

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Byron Lane - Principal AttorneyActive37 yrs

3655 Torrance Boulevard, Third Floor, Torrance, CA 90503

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)
Avvo
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Jeter Law advises residents of Hawthorne in probate-related issues. The firm offers estate planning, conservatorship, guardianship, and estate administration services. Eric B. Jeter has been dealing with succession law since 2001, working previously as a paralegal. He has practiced law since 2008, helping heirs, trustees, conservators and administrators settle inheritance controversies. He trained paralegals, bookkeepers, and associate attorneys in his previous firm. Jeter is often appointed by the court to represent the elderly and individuals with mental disabilities.

  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Eric Jeter - Founder and OwnerActive16 yrs

6701 Center Drive West 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90045

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (21)
Facebook
5.0 (7)
Google
5.0 (6)

Why choose this provider?

Evans Law Firm, Inc. assists with probate litigation for individuals and families in Hawthorne. It handles physical and financial elder abuse, elder law, powers of attorney, and financial, caregiver, and power of attorney fraud. It provides legal representation for matters of estate administration, trust administration, will and trust contests, and conservatorships. The firm also works on consumer fraud class actions, particularly involving insurance and banking fraud, Qui Tam or whistleblower/false claims, IRS tax fraud lawsuits, retaliation, and employment litigation. Lead attorney Ingrid Evans has over a decade of experience and is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

555 Pier Ave #4, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Margaret Jones Attorney at Law handles probate matters in Hawthorne. As an estate planning attorney, Jones strives to listen to her clients' goals so that she can craft the right plans for them. She handles the representation of her clients personally, from the consultation to the final meeting where the documents are signed. She also handles other cases such as premarital agreements, divorce mediations, and estate administration. Jones, who started her legal practice over 20 years ago, extends her services to the whole South Bay area.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Margaret Jones - PrincipalActive35 yrs

212 So. Lucia Avenue, Unit A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.4 (7)

Why choose this provider?

The Law Office of Walter J. Hindenlang serves clients throughout Hawthorne and its surrounding communities. For the past 20 years, the practice has focused on estate planning, trust administration, probate, conservatorships, guardianships, and mediation for those matters. Practicing since 1978, Hindenlang has experience in drafting living trusts, representing trustees and executors, and establishing and supporting conservatorships and guardianships. Hindenlang previously served as a board member of the South Bay Bar Association from 2011 to 2019 and served as its president in 2018.

  • Estate Planning
  • Trust Administration

Compare our Top Probate Lawyers

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Alta Legacy Law
21250 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503
The Kelly Law Firm
3777 Long Beach Blvd, Suite 300, Long Beach, CA 90807
Forward Estate Planning
​​222 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 2000, ​El Segundo, CA 90245
Law Offices of Diane Butler
13252 Hawthorne Blvd. Suite 103, Hawthorne, CA 90250
Aliav Law
291 S. La Cienega Blvd. #310, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Asher Law Group
1901 Avenue of the Stars, Ste. 1100,, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Beach Cities Estate Law
3528 Torrance Blvd., Suite 216, Torrance, CA 90503
Manesh Law
2029 Century Park East,#960, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Law Office of Steven C. Sosa, APC
1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 500, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Meinzer Law Firm
3878 West Carson Street Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90503
Teresa Gutierrez Law
1308 Sartori Avenue, Suite 201, Torrance, CA 90501
Law Offices of Maria N. Jonsson, PC
475 Washington Boulevard 2nd Floor, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC
11755 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1250, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Keller Law Firm
1219 Morningside Dr., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Lane Law Group Inc.
28924 S. Western Avenue, Suite 206, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Jeter Law
3655 Torrance Boulevard, Third Floor, Torrance, CA 90503
Evans Law
6701 Center Drive West 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Margaret Jones Attorney At Law
555 Pier Ave #4, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Law Office of Walter J. Hindenlang
212 So. Lucia Avenue, Unit A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Disclaimer:  Consumers utilizing Expertise.com are free to communicate and contract with any lawyer they choose. Expertise.com is not involved in the confidential attorney-client relationship. Featured lawyers pay a reasonable advertising cost to market their legal services with Expertise.com and must meet similar selection criteria as other lawyers. All cases are different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

FAQs

  • What is the non-emergency contact number for the local police station in Hawthorne, California?

    You may contact the Hawthorne Police Department dispatch center at 310-675-4444 for non-emergency concerns.

  • When does the validity of a will need to be proven in a Hawthorne probate?

    The validity of a will in Hawthorne needs to be proven during probate unless it is deemed a “self-proving” will. If a will is worded in a certain way required by state law, and if it references affidavits from the witnesses who signed it, then the presence of such elements is enough to consider it self-proving.

  • What happens to an estate in Hawthorne if the deceased left no will for probate?

    Contrary to many people’s misconception regarding probate, the state will not automatically seize the property of someone in Hawthorne who died without a will. California law usually bequeaths their property to close relatives or, if need be, to remote ones. In unusual cases where no surviving kin exists, the estate is escheated to Los Angeles County, where Hawthorne is located, if the deceased lived there at the time of death.

  • What negative consequences can Hawthorne beneficiaries and heirs experience in probate of their deceased loved one’s estate?

    Hawthorne beneficiaries and heirs realize that probate is expensive, with innumerable costs such as legal and executor fees, accounting charges, court costs, liquidation charges, and appraisal and miscellaneous expenses, which can considerably shave down the estate’s value. These essentially come from the inheritors’ pockets. Also, since probate records can be accessed by everyone, the loss of the family’s privacy may become an issue and could cause discord among its members.

  • How much should a Hawthorne estate’s value be for it to require probate?

    Ultimately, the need for probate in California boils down to how much the deceased’s estate value is, and in Hawthorne, that value has been set at more than $184,500 since April 2022. Estates whose value exceeds this figure will require court supervision in overseeing the accounting and distribution of assets.

  • What are some of the essential matters that must be discussed with a Hawthorne estate planning lawyer to ease the probate process?

    Some important matters that need to be discussed with a Hawthorne estate planning lawyer to ease probate include:

    • disclosure of all assets - to help the lawyer create a strategy to keep as many of your assets as possible exempted from probate
    • family dynamics - to make the lawyer aware of tension points within the family to help avoid future conflicts, hurt, and bickering
    • charitable giving intentions - to let the lawyer know the organizations and causes you want to give your assets to after death.

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